Rich Grabits bid on the custom Hooters Monster Truck in honor of his mother

One lucky Ohio man is now the proud owner of a custom Hooters 2008 GMC C4500 Monster Truck after placing the top bid in Hooters #GiveAHoot charity auction in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Rich Grabits, a 45-year-old mechanical worker from Brilliant, Ohio, placed the winning $45,750 bid to take home the highly sought-after truck with all proceeds benefiting the Hooters month-long October “Give A Hoot” fundraising campaign.

“As someone who comes from a family of avid auto enthusiasts with our own personal stock car track, you could say cars run in my blood,” said Hooters Monster Truck winner and Brilliant local, Grabits. “I anxiously kept tabs on the truck all week and couldn’t believe my eyes when I punched in the winning bid with just two seconds left to go on the clock. I can’t wait to show this beautiful truck around my hometown—Brilliant has never seen anything quite like it!”

For Grabits, winning the truck through Hooters Give A Hoot charity auction resonates on a much deeper level as cancer has touched both his father and sister, and his mother courageously survived breast cancer for more than 40 years. He plans to take the truck to some car shows and later pass it on to his nine-year-old son Cooper when he’s old enough to drive.

The Hooters Monster Truck charity auction is just one of the many ways Hooters Girls are asking America to Give A Hoot in the fight against breast cancer during October. After a record-setting fundraising campaign in 2014, raising more than $650,000, Hooters Girls are setting the bar even higher with a goal of $1 million this year. Hooters guests can still support the cause through the end of the month by purchasing a 2016 Hooters Calendar, with $1 from each calendar sold benefiting the campaign, ‘pinking up’ their check when they visit Hooters, snagging a pink bracelet with a donation in support of someone they love, enjoying a pink drink to raise awareness and funds or by spreading the word through social media channels using the hashtag #GiveAHoot.

“We’re grateful that this amazing truck is going home to someone who is not only passionate about cars but also shares in Hooters deep commitment to raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer,” said Bruce Skala, vice president, marketing and beverages, Hooters of America.

The 2015 Give A Hoot fundraising effort will benefit the Kelly Jo Dowd Breast Cancer Research Fund and other local beneficiaries. The Kelly Jo Dowd Breast Cancer Research Fund was developed in honor of the late Kelly Jo Dowd, one of the original Hooters Girls who graced the cover of the 1995 Hooters Calendar. Always an inspiration to her fellow Hooters Girls, Kelly Jo valiantly battled breast cancer for five years before succumbing on May 24, 2007. Throughout her struggle she was courageous and selfless, becoming an advocate for early detection, education and fundraising. Her influence on Hooters culture of service remains as strong as ever. Hooters Girls have raised more than $3 million to support breast cancer research, much of it through the grant in Kelly Jo’s name to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, one of the nation’s leading cancer research funding organizations. These grants honor Kelly Jo and further her mission to educate all women, especially her extended family consisting of some 300,000 current and former Hooters Girls, about the importance of early detection and prevention.

The V Foundation has funded more than $150 million in cancer research grants nationwide with 100 percent of direct cash donations funding cancer research. Due to generous donors, the Foundation has an endowment that covers administrative expenses. For more information about The V Foundation for Cancer Research, please visit www.jimmyv.org.

For more information about the Hooters #GiveAHoot fundraising campaign, visit Give.Hooters.com. To find the nearest Hooters location to make a donation or attend a fundraising event, visit Hooters.com.

Hooters of America, LLC, is the franchisor and operator of more than 420 Hooters restaurants in 42 states and 26 countries. Known for its world famous Hooters Style chicken wings, the first Hooters opened its doors in 1983 in Clearwater, Florida. Expectations were so modest at the time that the simple fact the doors opened was deemed worthy of a toast. Since then millions have been liberated from the ordinary at Hooters while enjoying great food, fun and one-of-a-kind hospitality that can only be served up by the Hooters Girls. For more information about Hooters visit www.Hooters.com or follow us at www.Twitter.com/Hooters, www.Facebook.com/Hooters, www.Instagram.com/Hooters or on Snapchat at “hootersLIVE”.